Public treatment admissions in the Central Valley HIDTA region remain high despite preliminary 2009
data showing decreases, the exception being the "other drug" category.g
According to the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs, methamphetamine was identified
more often than any other drug as the primary substance of abuse from 2004 through 2009. In 2009, approximately
40 percent of individuals admitted to public treatment centers in the HIDTA region were admitted for
methamphetamine abuse. (See Figure 4.) Treatment admissions for marijuana abuse
are also high but are not considered to be as significant as those for methamphetamine abuse, the effects
of which are much more difficult to treat. Cocaine is also abused throughout the Central Valley, but
to a lesser extent.

Source: California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs, Office of Applied Research
and Analysis.

Treatment center admissions for other drugs have steadily increased, nearly doubling from 2004 to
2009, while other admissions for major drug categories fluctuated during the same time frame. (See
Figure 4.) Oxycodones are among the most commonly abused CPDs in the region;
however, heroin abuse may increase as some oxycodone abusers find it easier to obtain heroin, according
to treatment professionals in the area. Hydrocodones, benzodiazepines, and carisoprodol are also commonly
abused in the region.

Traffickers move and launder illicit drug proceeds generated in the HIDTA region through various
methods. Mexican DTOs and criminal groups generally transport cash in bulk to southwestern states, where
the funds are typically aggregated and eventually smuggled to Mexico. Once in Mexico, bulk cash is often
deposited into a Mexican bank or a casa de cambio (exchange house) and subsequently repatriated to the
United States. Asian DTOs and criminal groups also use bulk cash smuggling to move their illicit proceeds
out of the region; they typically transport illicit proceeds to Canada in private vehicles through POEs
along the U.S.-Canada border. According to the NDTS 2010, 22 of the 28 law enforcement respondents in
the Central Valley HIDTA region report that bulk cash smuggling is the most common method used to move
drug proceeds. In 2009, more than $3.5 million in cash was seized by law enforcement officials in the
region, a 49 percent increase over the approximately $2.4 million seized in 2008. Other money laundering
methods used by DTOs in the region include money services businesses, cash-intensive businesses, and
real estate purchases.